Day by Day: A Tony and Michelle Story
by cubsmug45
Summary: A look into the days in the lives of Tony and Michelle, in and out of the seasons we have already seen them in. All of the normal things like lunch dates, proposal, wedding, maybe baby? who knows where it will go. rated T to be safe. please review!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Day by Day

Characters: Tony and Michelle

Credit: The characters and idea are the creation of Fox and the 24 writers. They take the credit.

Rating: T to be safe

Setting: This begins right after the events of day 2; everything remains as it was in the finale. Over the chapters there will be many flashbacks. If you can't follow them well just let me know and I will do my best to clarify. Thanks!

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Biting his lip, Tony smiled. "See ya tomorrow?" he thought. "What is that?" but he had said it and gotten a smile in return so he didn't dwell too long on his choice of goodbyes. It was true, though. She would be back tomorrow and life would get back to normal...or would it? Maybe that's what sent chills through Tony's body, life had changed and this time it was for the better. He was still reluctant, however, to move too quickly. He liked things between him and Michelle like they were: simple. Nothing was too weird or blown out of proportion. Those looks are what kill him. What in the world was Tony going to do next? He didn't know, but he did know that if he kept thinking about it than he wouldn't get any work done...and there was work to do. He had at least 2 more hours of work before he could hand CTU over to a loner from division. He let his eyes trail down to Michelle's desk where she was getting her things together to head home. She had a big day in store for her too.

Dealing with alcoholics is not easy. Tony knew that. While he never had to deal with it inside his family he knew his fair share of ex-Marines, friends, who couldn't seem to find the right balance of family and work... a word that didn't even begin to describe the marines. Sadly, alcohol became their balance sometimes even before they left the core.

When Tony had left he had a job offer at a major defense corporation in Los Angeles as an analyst. It was meant to be a break; He didn't want to "quit" the marines, he merely wanted to settle down for a while, stay out of harms way for his sake and his family's. But safe is a far cry from how Tony had felt since then. CTU was hardly a desk job.

Tony stayed busy for the next few minutes organizing briefing material from the day, signing this, organizing that. He needed the protocol layouts that Michelle had used for different situations. Unfortunately he had let her go for the day. The replacement would have to do it for now.

As he made his way down the stairs to Michelle's station Chappelle caught up with him.

"Tony!" he said with an urgent tone.

"I thought you were leaving, everyone's here and set"

"Yeah I know, I was gone. But just... look!"

Tony looked at the screen that had just changed from the CTU logo to CNN. On it was a live feed from UCLA where the President was to have given his speech. The woman on the news explained the situation while the crowd was in hysterics behind her. The President had been attacked.

"Oh my god" Tony said with a sigh in shock that this had happened but also at the realization that it was going to be another long day.

Michelle pulled into the parking lot of the Baptist Health hospital. She pulled down the mirror of her Honda accord to apply the lipstick that had lain in her car for 24 hours. Someone had to look pulled together. But inside Michelle was falling apart. She loved her brother but resented him for doing this to her. To himself.

She wanted so badly a relationship, a life. Specifically Tony. She hated that her time and energy either went to work to help Danny financially or straight to her brother, helping with the kids, going shopping, all the things he had left behind with his wife.

But even more than that she hated that on this particular day Danny was the reason she finally got a glimpse of hope. Tony must think she's an idiot. And yet he was so gentle and comforting. He wanted it just as badly as she did. Whatever the reason she was glad "the corner" had happened. Work was looking more and more appealing.

She bit her lip as she checked into the front desk... She had just jinxed herself. The reporter was relaying the news of an attempt on President Palmer's life. "Oh good" she thought. "Here we go again". She proceeded to Danny's room ready to get this over with but even more anxious about what was going on at work.

Danny was ready and waiting in his room.

"Hey, Chelle" he said in as perky a voice he could rummage up

"Hey, Danny" she said with a transparent "I'm-not-in-the-mood-to-pretend-nothing-happened" tone.

"Look, I'm sorry I shouldn't have been there and..."

"Danny, just stop. It's ok" she said in response to his all too common apology. "I still love you now let's go" she said heading for the door.

"That's good" he said trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah" she said under her breath as she left the room.

He didn't bother to say anything else. Michelle stopped by Krispy Kreme on her way back to Danny's apartment. Not only was she hungry, but the employee kitchenette at CTU could use a little stock of dough-nuts. She dropped Danny off and assured him that his kids were safe at their moms. She would see him at Sunday brunch at their mom's house.

From there she went home, a short drive from Danny's place. She needed to at least change clothes before she went back. As she pulled into her parking spot, she grabbed her purse and quickly got out. She ran into her apartment, in a rush to get back to CTU. On a normal day she wouldn't bother going back in but technically Tony was still only the agent in charge as he hadn't been instated yet and she new the already short-handed back-up shift could use a hand.


	2. In the beginning

Michelle's apartment was a cozy one. It wasn't too big but it suited her needs perfectly. A living room decorated with warm tones led into the bright, cheery kitchen. She wouldn't have decorated it so nicely without her friend who came from out of town appauled at the bareness of the white walls and beige couches. Michelle remembers the weekend vividly...

Jessica had come from Washington,D.C. where she and Michelle met at DARPA. They had a lot in common from general interests to a Los Angeles upbringing. Though Michelle didn't spend a lot of time in D.C. before moving back to Los Angeles, they were instant friends. They worked through 9-11 together and beat the anthrax scare but division was calling Michelle, an offer she couldn't resist.

After spending about a year at her moms house in her old pretty pink bedroom, Michelle finally got a place of her own. After the year she had, it was much deserved. It took all she had inside to not put in for a transfer to anywhere far, far away from the chaos Danny dragged into her life. But she stuck it out and she finally got her "girls" weekend.

Jessica came to help move in the apartment and then they would go on a mini road trip to Las Vegas with another girl from LA. But it didn't go as planned. Looking back as she brushed her uncontrollable hair, it was now turning out better.

At the time it was a bummer that Michelle had been transferred that Friday to the Counter Terrorist Unit Los Angeles. She had to be there right away which meant no Las Vegas. Leaving the house that morning she handed Jessica a credit card and told her to put the apartment together.

According to her inside sources at division, CTU had been shorthanded for about 9 months now after the second in command was uncovered as a mole. They had been making do with the computer analyst/protocol manager filling in as second in command, but the job was getting too hard to handle and it was obvious this guy had taken on too much. Some sources even suggested he was sleeping with the mole at the time of her uncovering (no punn intended ;) Whatever was going on didn't change the fact that CTU offered better pay and suprisingly less hours. Michelle was sold.

It didn't look as big from the outside as she had thought it would but the inside was how she had pictured it. Open, spacious, dark, desks. After dealing with some paperwork at the front desk she posed for a picture that was pasted onto an ID badge along with a magnetic stripe that gave her access to most doors and a temporary level 2 clearance.

"Right this way, Ms. Dessler" the guard said with an indicative tone

She was led through a hallway and to two durable glass doors that made this cool latching sound when opened and closed.

"Thanks Brian" said a man walking very casually towards them.

The guard left leaving Michelle with this man.

"Michelle Dessler?"

"Yes."

"I'm George Mason, Director of CTU"

"Yes, we talked briefly this morning"

"Yep" he said leading her into the building. "ok so there's the conference room to your right, holding rooms down that hallway, bathrooms further down that hallway, locker rooms a little further, and a small kitchen is just past the conference room but I'm not your mother so clean up after yourself."

"Yes sir. I can do that"

"Good, but can you cook "

"I dont often"

"Ah, no one does. If you can use a microwave, a coffee pot, and a trashcan, you're set"

"And what about computers?" she said with a small grin. She was going to like this boss, she could tell.

"Not my forte. that's where this man right... here comes in"

"What's that?" a nice-looking 30ish man said turning around

"This is our new third." George said.

Michelle hadn't really thought of what a huge promotion this was. She was third in command!

"Hi. I'm Tony Almeida" he said in a whispery voice

"Michelle Dessler" she said suprised at what this person had turned out to be. When she heard sleeping with the mole she thought mid- 40's, mid-life crisis ish, not charming and all together sexy.

"Let me show you the system over here" he said leading her to an empty desk.

They went through the program and she was given a higher security clearance.

"Meetings every half hour unless you hear differently over there and i'm sure George has introduced you to the kitchen."

"Yes, he has"

"Good. Then if you have any questions just let me know. Welcome to CTU."

"Thanks" she said as he walked off.

The day was rather uneventful. An arrest here, protocol there. She got back to her apartment around 5:30 where the professional painters were wrapping things up.

"wha...What is this?" michelle said shocked.

"you said put it together!"

"yes, i did say that didn't i?" Michelle said, realizing her fault of leaving a credit card with a girl and an open day to shop.

"here let me show you everything!" Jessica said, thrilled.

The living room was a warm red, the kitchen a light blue, her bedroom a warm beige/copper color and one of the extra rooms a light purple dubbed the "girls hangout". it was certainly cute...and wet. they ordered food and watched a movie in the only room not painted.

"ok so anything eventful happen at this new job?" Jessica said interested.

"well the guy that i'm helping out is not like what we had talked about at all. he's really nice and whoa fine." she laughed. Michelle wasn't really in the habit of scoping out men. She was too busy with school and work to ever give a guy a second thought. "it's obvious he was hurt by that woman. he's not standoffish, he just keeps his distance."

"aww. a vulnerable man." Jessica said with a hint of sarcasm.

"laugh now, but i think he might open up."

"uh-oh, Michelle's in love"

"shut up. i didn't say open up to me. At some point he has to let his guard down.."

"and you'll be standing there ready"

"ya know what, im done talking about this!" Michelle said half joking. "put the movie in"

"yes, ma'am"

as Michelle slid her left shoe back on and grabbed her keys to run back to the car she smiled. He let his guard down...


	3. Letting His Guard Down

As the shift shuffled out of the briefing room Tony gathered his papers and headed up to his new office. It was weird to be in command. Tony always thought he was better at following orders than making them, but this fit too. And yet this wasn't some big career victory. He wasn't even sure this was where he wanted to be, sitting at a desk until he was fifty years old. The only reason he hadn't quit before is because he couldn't. CTU really needed him. It wasn't until Jack left that Tony realized how much it took to be director; how much time and effort Jack had put in. Now he was really going to find out.

The buzz of the main doors caught Tony's attention. He turned to see Michelle walking in. She was beautiful; you would never be able to tell she hadn't slept in over 24 hours. He was confused as to why she was there, but so glad that she was. Truth was Tony had missed Michelle. It hadn't even been 2 hours, but he missed her. It was stupid but something about seeing her made him ready to face the day… again. Unfortunately his excitement was not conveyed in his tone as he met up with her.

"What are you doing here?" he said puzzled with a hint of rudeness.

"I saw what was happening and I figured you could use some help around here"

He just stared at her with that face

"But if I was wrong…" she said in a slightly frustrated tone.

"No, no. I'm sorry, just running on fumes"

"Which is why I came"

"And I see you brought doughnuts to feed a third world country" he said indicating the four doughnut boxes she was juggling as they approached her desk.

"They're in honor of George" she said with a smile

"There is no better memorial to be had" he said amused by her answer and the charm with which she said it. "let me get those from you"

"Thank you"

"No thank you" Tony said getting one out for himself before taking them from her.

Michelle watched as he made the corner into the small kitchen. She was kind of shocked by the 180 in Tony's mood over the past 20 seconds. He had even apologized. That, she had learned over the past 9 months, was not something that happened often. For some women, that would drive them crazy, but for Michelle it meant that Tony didn't do things half-heartedly. She didn't see it as selfish that Tony couldn't admit he was wrong, it just meant that he had thought it through and he wasn't sorry about it. That's why Tony was a rule person, a black and white type.

However, Tony had learned earlier that evening that sometimes situations just turn gray. If he had done things by the book America would be thrust into world war three right now. He had broken the rules to get a better result.

It was applicable to other areas in his life, also. He had broken his rule of keeping private and professional affairs separate once and that ended with utter humiliation and the blur of the last year and a half of his life. And he had already broken the rule again today… was Michelle the better result?

As he left the kitchen and caught a glimpse of her with a coworker one thing was clear: he was falling for Michelle Dessler and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

After 6 more long hours of research and investigation into the attack on President Palmers life with no promising leads Tony decided to pack up and head home.

As everyone left the 3 o'clock briefing Michelle approached Tony. This moment alone caught Tony off guard and he got nervous.

"Hey. I was thinking I'd head home too" Michelle said anxiously awaiting his response.

"You should, it's been a very long day."

There was a pause

"Thank you for coming back in to help. I needed it"

"It was my pleasure"

"Look, I was thinking if you still had a little bit of energy left if maybe I could take you out for lunch"

Michelle was speechless for a moment as she looked away. After careful consideration she looked at him and simply replied

"Sure"

"Ok, I'll meet you outside in 10 minutes

"Yeah, ok" she said attempting to make words form.

Michelle opted to take her own car so Tony wouldn't have to make a round trip back to CTU. As she drove to Leo's, a small local cafe she pulled out lipstick to reapply. She was thrilled that Tony asked her out to lunch despite the fact that she was dead tired. Somehow that just didn't matter anymore. She pulled into the parking lot next to Tony right as he had gotten out of his car. He opened her door.

"I'm sorry if there are any inappropriate comments made by the waiters. They're all my friends and they are going to flip at the sight of a woman."

"Thanks for the warning"

"Its the least i can do. Shall we?" he said opening the restaurant door.

"Yes thank you"

They grabbed a table in the back and ordered their food.

"Ok so tell me about Michelle Dessler" Tony said starting conversation

"What's to tell"

"Fine, i'll just ask questions.


	4. A Lunch Date

"Birthday" Tony asked inquisitively.

"May 22"

"Year?"

"1976, you?"

"February 2, 1974. Family?"

"my question" she said playfully correcting him

"no your question was my birthday"

He was right

"fine. Dad died when I was 15, car wreck, Mom lives here in LA and then there's Danny. And you?"

"Dad is a recruiting officer for the Marines, Mom was an accountant. They live in Valencia. I have a younger sister, Julie who is married to Ben and they have a 1 year old son Walker."

"she beat you to the alter and the maternity ward"

"haha" he said mocking her. "you sound like my mother"

"Is that your way of flattery."

"Hey, you don't know my mother. That is a high compliment"

"Yeah, I bet" Michelle joked

"Where'd you grow up?"

"Dad was based all over the place growing up. We spent 1-4 grade here in LA, 5-7 grade in St. Louis, and 8-12 grade in Chicago."

"So that's where the cubs mug is from"

"you noticed"

"Yes I did. College?"

"Stanford, then San Diego State"

"And then?"

"It was off to the core. I worked my way up to First Lieutenant specializing in surveillance and target acquisition as a scout sniper. After 5 years I decided to take a break. I spent 6 months at Division doing some tactical but mainly analyzing. And the last 2 ½ years has been devoted to CTU"

"well that's quite a record Mr. Almeida"

Then a man walked through the front door pinning on his nametag as if he were coming in on the late shift.

"Pete! Hurry up, you won't believe this!" He yelled to a man not far behind him. "Tony's at table 12!"

Tony looked at Michelle as if mentally reminding her of his apology earlier. Michelle smiled.

"What?" the unidentified man said as he turned the corner in the door. "But table twelve is a two seater!"

They ran to meet Tony at his table. Both speechless.

"Don't look so surprised gentlemen, you knew it was coming someday." Tony said matter-of-factly.

"She have a name?" John asked indicating Michelle.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was hoping there was some way she didn't notice you guys."

"Don't be a jerk, Almeida" Pete let out in a sarcastic demand.

Michelle was now beaming at the sight of Tony and some people not work related. She reached out her hand

"Michelle Dessler"

"Well, ma'am it's a pleasure to meet you." John took her hand.

"So, is this new or has it been some work-related type secret" Pete said pulling up a chair

"I can't believe this, aren't you guys supposed to be working?" Tony asked playfully unamused.

"Wait! Has Leo seen you two."

"As a matter of a fact he has and he did his job, hence the food we are trying to eat"

"Alright, alright. Get back to the date. But miss, just so you know, we taught him everything he knows about the ladies," Pete offered to Michelle.

"Which might explain why it is so unusual to see me with one. Now go!" Tony joked back.

They went this time bouncing off to the kitchen

"Oh my God, they are so embarrassing"

"I'd have to go with charming" Michelle said with a smile.

"Ok, well I'll take that as a good thing."

"It's a great thing."

"Back to our game of questions" Tony cleared his throat. "What's your story?"

"Grew up here. Went to UCLA, graduated with a bachelor in computer science. Then I moved to DC and worked at DARPA until a little under 2 years ago when Division called and you know the rest"

"not too bad yourself"

"I do my best."

"Well that's enough biography. Let's go with…what is your favorite movie?"

"The American President"

"Ahh" Tony let out a sigh of mild disapprovement.

"What?"

"chick flick"

"It is so not… ok so maybe it is. But c'mon Michael Douglas, President?"

"oh, so you go for the older men"

"Only when they're Michael Douglas. What about you?"

"I'd have to go with the Rush Hours"

"Action/Comedy fan?"

"only when it's Chris Rock and Jackie Chan" he said mimicking her

"Oh k, smart one."

They finished up lunch; he paid and walked her to her car.

"This was fun" he said, her car door now separating them.

"yeah, it was"

There was a bit of an awkward silence

"Ya know I still owe you dinner and a movie sometime" he said with a hint of a smile  
She smiled back. She was afraid he had forgotten

"yes you do…sometime"

"Ok then I'll call you, or see you. Either one."

"good"

There was another small pause that felt like a lifetime. Tony leaned over the door and tenderly kissed Michelle.

"See ya in the morning"

"Yeah" was all Michelle could get out before sitting down and shutting the door. She offered him one last smile as he walked around to his beige Explorer.

It was the perfect end to a not so perfect day. One thing was for sure. Michelle couldn't wait for morning.


	5. The Question

It was one of the many memories of the past year racing through Tony's mind. Now it was December 18, 2006, 13 months after that lunch date. Tony knew it was well beyond time to propose and had been carrying the ring around for over a week now.

The relationship was already complicated as they tried to keep a line between private and professional matters; a marriage would further complicate that. What he loved was that Michelle was willing to work on it too and he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that their marriage would work simply by the way they looked at each other. Tony was hopelessly in love.

CTU was unrecognizable with all of the decorations, food, and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" playing softly in the distance. Each year one CTU in California would host a Holiday Ball for all three agencies in the state. It was a chance for agents to be people around each other, to get to talk about the weather in a stress free environment for once.

This year was CTULA's turn and Michelle was basically responsible for putting it together. She glowed as she made her way through the room. She wore a stunning red spaghetti-strapped dress and her hair was tamed in a silver clip.

Determined that no one miss out on the party, Michelle was visiting with the guards posted by the main entrance, offering them coffee.  
Tony took a breath and made his way to Michelle. He walked up behind her, put his hands on her hips and whispered "follow me".  
He led her out of the doors and outside where it was unusually cold for Los Angeles in the winter. He took his coat off and rested it on her shoulders.

"thank you"

"my pleasure"

"what?"

"what what?"

"you're looking at me funny"

"no I'm not"

"you are too, you're staring"

"well what's a man to do when a woman's so beautiful?"

Michelle smiled "charming"

"ya think so?"

"oh yeah"

As they walked Tony had his arm around her. He leaned over and kissed her passionately.  
"wow. What was that for?"

"Shhh. Don't ruin it."

"What?" Michelle was utterly confused.

"Shhhh"

"ok, ok"

"Look Michelle, uh, I don't really know how to say all that I want to. There are no words to tell you how much I love you. You walk into a room and it hits me; how much I missed you in the minutes we spent apart. All it takes is one look and you make me not even care that the world is falling apart around us. And I can't begin to think of my life without you."

As tears were forming in Michelle's eyes, Tony knelt on one knee.

"Ok, so…" Tony cleared his throat. "Michelle, will you marry me?"


	6. Yes

Authors note: Thank you all so very much for your replies. They really keep a writer going! I'm really glad that you like the story and I hope you enjoy this one as well…

Michelle stood in silence.  
"Ok, this is the part where you say something" Tony said more nervous than ever.

"Oh my God, yes yes!" Michelle quickly said, hating that she hesitated.

Tony immediately stood up, scooping Michelle in his arms on the way. He held her there for just a moment, then pulled back to kiss her. A few minutes later, Michelle broke the kiss.

"Tony, the party"

"Yeah"

"Well ya see you have to be present to host a party"

He playfully replied "5 more minutes!"

Michelle quickly complied "what can I say, you're in command"

Warm in each others arms they kissed again. Tony pulled back and in the ideal tony voice whispered "I love you, Michelle."  
"Love doesn't begin to cover it, Tony"

They kissed briefly one more time…  
"Tony, seriously, the party"  
"whatever, c'mon" Tony said turning to head into CTU  
"Hey, I think you forgot something"

Tony looked confused. Michelle pointed her eyes to his hand still holding the ring.  
"Oh my God, why didn't you tell me!" Tony said, playfully upset that he forgot such an important detail.  
"I just did, now give it!"  
Tony slid the round-cut diamond mounted on a silver band onto Michelle's left ring finger.  
"it's official, we're getting married. Oh my God, we're getting married" Michelle stopped to ponder on this striking revelation for a minute.

Tony kissed her one last time as they turned towards the door, arm in arm.

As they walked in Michelle, now filled with spirit cheered to the guard "Merry Christmas!"  
Tony, delighted in and mimicking her glee responded "and a happy new year!"  
Michelle laughed. As they walked down the stairs into the main unit they talked.  
"Ok, so who all knows about this?" Michelle asked  
"I called Jessica to get an opinion on the ring. And, in case you were worried; we have your mom and Danny's blessing"  
"Aww. You called them"  
"Well I went and talked to them"

"I love you, Tony Almeida"  
"Well that's good cuz we're getting hitched"

They reached the ground doors of CTU.  
"Let's go spread the word" Tony said with a smile.

Tony and Michelle's relationship had always been low-key. They didn't keep it a secret and they certainly weren't ones to have sex in Tony's office during lunch break (though there were days when it crossed their minds :)

They both knew that work was work and they remained professional at CTU (with the exception, of course, of the longing looks, smiles, and they small kiss here and there). This was due not only to Tony's history, but also to keep their individual identity; it wasn't always Tony-n-Michelle. This way people didn't have a problem with them at work and led to no complaints filed in the 5 years they worked together.  
For this reason, neither one of them were set on making any big announcements in the party. They didn't need to either; their demeanor said it all.

Jack was there, with Kate. Tensions were becoming high between the two of them because of Jack's first major "mission" since returning to CTU as the head of field ops. Kate understood what the job meant, but the prospect of Jack leaving and being unreachable for months, maybe even years, was unbearable. But for some reason Jack needed to do something big again, to really get back in the game. Tony, Michelle, Jack, Chapelle, Hammond and other major leaders from CTU and Division had been putting together the operation for 2 months now; it was almost time.

Kate had already said that she would have to break things off if Jack went, not to try and keep him there, just telling him like it was.  
It was hard for Jack to handle so he just spent every waking hour with Kate assuring her of his love; sometimes just pretending nothing was wrong.

Tony sympathized with Jack as they prepared for the mission and the bond between the two of them because of their experience at CTU deepened. Jack's situation brought to life how crucial it was for he and Michelle to communicate, support, and balance each other in their relationship.

With his arm around her Tony opened the main door of CTU. He was shocked at the sight of Jack, Kate, Kim, Gael, Adam, and others in the office raising glasses to the two as they entered.  
"Congratulations!" they all cheered.

"I thought we were clear on the whole honesty in the relationship thing, Tony" Michelle whispered as they walked in. "You said 3 people knew"

"I had nothing to do with this, I promise"

"It's true, he had no idea" Jack said, bringing them glasses of champagne. "I just saw the two of you leave, I knew Tony had a ring picked out. We're all smart people"  
Michelle kicked into sweet, soft, quiet mode, embarrassed by the attention she was receiving.

"Hey Almeida, the invitation promised a Santa Clause here tonight." Chapelle said with his own hint of humor.  
"I'm looking at him, there's a suit in the locker room waiting for you" Tony said with a smile  
"You didn't"  
"Hurry up now, the kids are getting impatient" Tony said with a laugh.  
"I'm not doing it"  
"What and ruin the spirit of Christmas, do you really want to carry that burden?"  
Chapelle pretended to turn away, playfully unamused.  
The thought of Chapelle in a Santa suit was enough to get the crowd laughing.

The rest of the night was a blur as they both made the rounds, talking to these people and those people, being social. By 11:30 they party had died down and they said their goodbyes.

Jack came up to Tony and said "you stole the thunder of the night, man"  
"Well what can I say?" Tony said boastfully  
"Seriously Tony, you deserve this. Congratulations"  
"Congratulate me later, I haven't made it to the alter yet." Tony smirked.

With that Tony turned with his fiancée and left. The CTU ball was an affair to remember but Tony had one more thing in mind for the night.


	7. Bliss

As Michelle sat in her temporary office, looking out over the building the memory was so bittersweet. It seemed that in the past, no matter how horrible her day was that, as Tony had promised, he was there. They both lived for the moments of alone time. Just the two of them. While she and Tony had seen a lot of each other outside of the office before he proposed, that night began a whole new chapter in their romance; they were officially each others.

Michelle wished she could say that now. She wished Tony was there to hold her; so she could tell him that she loved him, that she never stopped. Images of the explosion that engulfed her husband, well ex, in flames continued to play through her head. Yet the tears couldn't come. She just couldn't even make sense of it all. Desperate for something to keep her mind from Tony's death, she continued her memory of that chilled wintry night when all was well in the world.

--------------------------

Tony searched the car for something to use as a blind fold. He had forgotten that minor detail. Finally Michelle donated her long white gloves to Tony's cause. Michelle patiently sat, awaiting her surprise that was obviously very well planned by her fiancé.  
"ok, we're here!" Tony said turning off the ignition and walking to Michelle's door.  
"can I take this off yet?" Michelle said anxiously  
"nope, just trust me"  
"alright"  
Tony gently helped her out of the car and safely to the ground.  
"ok, making progress Tony said"  
Michelle cackled  
"Hey Tony" Michelle searched for his response  
"Yeah"  
"Would you kiss me?"  
Tony laughed  
"Well I would, but I can't see you" Michelle explained  
"Well that may be more fun" Tony joked  
"Tony, seriously"  
Tony gently kissed her, then nudged her up the sidewalk and through the door.  
"Ok…now you can open your eyes" Tony said, taking Michelle's blindfold off.  
They were at Leo's, where their first date was. Candles were lit throughout the restaurant with Christmas music playing in the background. The lights were dimmed and only one table in the middle of the restaurant was set; for two.  
"Tony…oh…" Michelle couldn't find words. "I mean, don't outdo yourself, we still have a wedding, a honeymoon, and like 50 years to go"  
"I figured we'd start with a bang" Tony said, taking her hand and leading her to their seats.  
Because the CTU ball was a dinner, also, the couple was mainly full. But there was room for desert. Lots of desert. Leo himself was the only one there, serving the food for the two of them. Tony didn't know when he would propose, but Leo was "on call" for the whole week. Any time Tony called, Leo would set up the restaurant like Tony requested and begin making all the desserts. Leo owed Tony a couple of things and this was one payback.  
"Tony, I can't eat any more. We've had like the whole dessert menu"  
"Yeah well I figured you needed ideas for the cake"  
"Ah. Good thinking"  
"Well, I try. What do ya say we burn a few of these calories off?"  
Tony got up and walked to michelle's chair. Reaching his hand out he said  
"Dance with me"  
Michelle let out a laugh of shock  
"Tony, you don't dance"  
"No. I don't dance in public. This is acceptable"  
"Well I wont argue with that" Michelle promptly stood up and walked to a clear space in the room. They danced for what felt like days, lost in each others cuddle.  
"It's one a.m. I should get you home"  
"Does it have to end?"  
"For tonight, yes. We have work in the morning"  
Michelle sighed "don't remind me"  
Tony went and thanked Leo and he congratulated them. Tony drove to Michelle's house and walked her to the door.  
"come in"  
"I can't. I don't have work clothes here and…"  
Michelle cut him off "yes you do. Remember the coffee stained one that I washed for you last week."  
"Oh yeah. Well in that case, lemme in" They walked in and settled on the couch.  
"Oh wait, I have something in the car for you"  
"Tony the rings on my finger, what else is there?"  
"You'll see, I'll be right back"  
Tony got his keys and ran to the car. He came back in carrying an unopened copy of the American President.  
"We never did get to watching this"  
"But it's a chick flick" Michelle said mimicking Tony's comment on their first mini-date.  
"Nah. It's got Michael Douglas as President. How bad could it be"  
Sadly, Tony didn't get a chance to find out. They were both passed out on the couch 5 minutes in. But it was the principle of the thing. They spent the night in each others' arms; dress, tux, and all.

------------------------------------------

Michelle stared into space as she recounted the memory. A smile almost dared appear on her face. She would never get to hold him like that again. Or so she thought…


	8. Looking Up

Michelle just sat there in the car. She couldn't even begin to drive. Now the tears came, almost as large and as fast as the raindrops on her mini-SUV. She and Tony had picked it out a little over a year and a half ago, just in case baby made three for the Almeida household in the near future. God what had she done. Nothing in her life had gone like she planned in the last year and a half. She sat in guilt, carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Needless to say, answering her phone was the last thing she wanted to do, but she was still officially the Deputy Director of Division and duty called, once more. It was Bill. She hadn't even planned on listening until she heard "Tony's alive". Before she could process his words, the voice she had been dreaming about for the last half hour came to life over the phone.

In the tenderest voice he could use Tony simply said, "Michelle it's me." She was speechless. All she could let out was "Tony" still trying to convince herself it was really him. She asked about what had happened, but she didn't really listen. Just hearing his voice was enough. He knew she would be in a fragile state, possibly even shocked, so he carried the conversation, gave her facts and assured her he would soon be back for her. He called her sweetheart, and Michelle melted. But then came the words she had waited to hear delivered sincerely for 18 months. "Michelle…I love you" Her reply was sincere, but almost automatic. "I love you, Tony"

God, the anticipation was worse than every Christmas morning, birthday, and even her wedding put together. She was going to see Tony again. She had to pinch herself to make sure it wasn't her brain going into auto pilot. For thirty minutes she waited around, signing this, typing that. She tuned the assistant out when she heard the all too familiar buzz of the main doors opening. She knew it had to be Tony. As he came around the corner, she barely took her eyes off of him; she excused the well-meaning assistant. This was their long overdue moment. All the things she wanted to say to him were swirling around in her head and a rush of emotions swept over her. She breathed deep as she prepared to be held in his arms once more.

The joy that rushed through her body when they touched exceeded her expectations. She needed to convey to Tony how much she loved him. Her first attempt failed as she couldn't get further than, "when they told me you were dead" Tony knew. He'd been there before and he knew. They kissed briefly, but Michelle had to get it out. "I love you. I never knew how much until I thought I lost you". And then she realized…the guilt set in. Tony could tell something was wrong. When she started to blame herself he stopped her, knowing that she had to do her job, even at his expense. That's why they were leaving. But then she took it a step further.

"You chose me and I chose" The normal old egotistical Tony obviously gone, he wouldn't even let her finish the sentence. He wouldn't wish the last year and a half of his life on his worst enemy, much less the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. They did the best they could. Those words rung true of the last 18 months, they had gotten by, and things were already looking up.


	9. Memories

Thirty minutes later the two found themselves thrust back into the world they were so desperately trying to avoid. However, at this point Tony and Michelle would do just about anything for Jack, and vice versa. Tony drove the short distance back to CTU very quietly, almost unreadable. He had just said goodbye to one of his longest, most loyal friends and Michelle could see the annoyance on Tony's face. Politics…

But he wasn't distant. As he drove he held a firm grip on Michelle's hand. Things were already getting back to how they should be. The two of them against the world.

Tony snuck into the back parking lot, so as to not be seen by a guard who could later testify against them if anything were ever to be uncovered about this secret "mission". The choices and decisions they made now would change the rest of their lives. As a precaution, Tony and Michelle would enter two different doors, two minutes apart.

"Ok, I'll take side entrance, you take the back first" Tony said in a tone of determination.  
"Ok" Michelle agreed as she turned to exit the car.  
"Chelle wait" Tony stopped her, reaching out to her arm.  
Michelle spun around.  
"Thank you for helping"  
"I'm here for you… always" Michelle said, catching his eyes for a minute.  
"I love you" Tony said leaning in to kiss her.  
After a brief kiss Michelle replied "Love doesn't even begin to cover it, Tony", referring back to the night of their engagement. Tony bit his lip and smiled, then focused.  
"I'll meet you out here in twenty minutes, max"  
"See ya then" Michelle got out of the car and into the parking lot headed for the back entrance. Tony watched from the car.

He couldn't imagine what the last 18 months had been like for her and this was the first time he tried without pitying his own self...  
-------------------------------------------------------------------

(Season 3)

Michelle watched as police officers escorted her husband out of CTU in handcuffs. "Traitor?" how could this have happened. Tony of all people would never intentionally betray his country in the way the title "traitor" conveys. Nina was a traitor, Saunders was a traitor, but Tony? Not her Tony.  
The next few hours were a mad dash as division sent in back up for CTU and Hammond worked the files. He refused to let Michelle work on anything pertinent, promising, or urgent so she finished up her briefing and headed over to NHS. They still needed final blood samples, DNA analysis, things for research, but also for documentation of the survival/mortality rate and they needed to have Michelle on file as fully recovered. Minutes there felt like days as Michelle longed to see Tony. For a few days she visited him at the local prison regularly; getting there at visitor opening time and leaving at closing. But life did have to go on for Michelle.

While Michelle hated the idea of sticking with CTU, she needed a job and she knew Langley couldn't offer one. Upon research she found a Homeland Security restructuring project and sent in a resume. Almost immediately she was accepted as assistant director of the project headquarters in Seattle. Leaving behind the dream of the house she and Tony had been looking at, Michelle packed up to leave for Seattle nearly one month after Tony's imprisonment. She would live in a small apartment in Seattle and come home to her LA apartment (which she and Tony shared after their wedding) every weekend to see Tony. As much as it would cost her to keep renting the LA apartment, Michelle just couldn't give up the memories now embedded into those four walls…

(18 months after season 2, 18 months before season 3)

May 16, 2007. It was a beautiful day. The weather was as perfect as it could be for LA. Could today really be happening?

Michelle asked that to herself frequently, even now as she ran from room to room frantically, frustrated.

"Where are the clips?" Michelle yelled to the four other girls in her apartment.

"Michelle, baby, did you try the bathroom" Jessica said making her way to the bathroom.

Michelle followed her. "Ha! Did i try the bathroom of course I tried th…"

She was cut off by Jessica holding up 3 silver clips

"Missed that drawer," Michelle said guiltily.

"Yeah," Jessica replied with understanding of Michelle's current state.

Michelle's mom spoke up over the "girlie" music playing in the background from the kitchen. "Girls, come get some breakfast. I promise, the dresses will still fit if you have a few eggs."

"Mom, seriously. Eating would not go over very well with the stomach at this particular time" Michelle said walking into the kitchen.

"Trust her, Michelle" said Julie, Tony's younger sister, "you will thank her for it later. It will most likely be 12 hours until you eat again."

"You all forget how common that is for me though"

"Well it's unhealthy. Sit down and eat" Michelle's mom said putting the plate down on the table.

"Mom, the flowers are on the table, you can't put the eggs there."

"Well goodness no, we wouldn't want to impose on the flowers territory. What was I thinking?" she quipped back in a sarcastic you're-going-crazy tone.

"Fine. Just hand me the plate"

The doorbell rang. Michelle's friend Christi opened the door. It was Ben, Julie's husband, Tony's best man. The girls screamed as they were all in t-shirts and underwear with their hair half done. They were surprised to see Ben ready to go, bowtie and everything.

"Hey baby. What are you doing and why are you already ready?"

"I have a gift from the groom to the bride."

The girls "aaaawwwww"ed as Michelle blushed and took the rather large box from Ben's hands.

"And there's a cubs game on today. We got ready early to watch the game" Ben replied with a smile.

"Could've left that part out, sweetheart" Julie said in response to his ruining the sentiment.

"Yeah well. I'm going to head back we're only in the 3rd inning." Ben turned around and shut the door behind him.

Jessica laughed. "Sheesh, Michelle. You better hope it doesn't go into extra innings, there may not be a wedding."

"You joke about that, but it is very possible" Michelle said with a smile.

"Well open it!" the girls yelled.

Inside the box was a bouquet of 2 dozen roses, a card, a mug, and a picture frame.

Michelle opened and began to read the card to herself

"Oh c'mon. don't leave us hangin!" Christi said anxiously.

Michelle started over, this time reading out loud.

"Dear Michelle. I don't even know what to say on this, the best day of my life. All I can say is that I love you… But love doesn't begin to cover it... For the rest of my life, Tony." Michelle smiled at his alluding to her response to his proposal. The thought of being married to this man was more than her heart could take.

She picked up the mug. She now had her very own cubs' mug. That, above all other things, made their marriage official. From then on she gets to share in Tony's interests, in his future. And then there was the picture frame. Small, simple, and silver, it held a picture from a few months back.

Tony had gone out of town with his dad one a recruiting campaign his dad was involved in. He had a few more pictures left on his disposable camera when he returned and the two of them went out on a movie date. It was a close up picture; one that Tony had taken by stretching out his arm and snapping the picture in the general direction of their faces.

They were so happy. You could just see it in the picture. Michelle couldn't wait to see Tony. It wouldn't be long until the sun would shine brightly on her long, flowy white dress, her toes in the sand, with a small group of 20 people watching her say "I do" to her prince charming. Could today really be happening?  
---------------------------------------------------------------------


	10. Life Within Reach

The wedding was everything Michelle wanted it to be and more. it wasn't too sappy nor was it stale. As she took the frame out of the box, she wiped off the dust to reveal the picture that had brought forth this memory. They were so happy then. And Michelle was determined, now more than ever that this time around things would work out...for good.

Tony was in the shower after a long nap on the couch. He had tried not to wake Michelle when he got up, but there were some things she wanted to do without him noticing. For example, putting up all of the old pictures of them together.

It was now 5 p.m. on the day of Tony's kidnapping, but to Michelle it felt like years had past. Probably because she had been waiting so long to cuddle up in Tony's lap with a bowl of cereal and the tv on in the background. They had intended to talk through some things, but soon fell asleep.

Michelle turned from the mantle where she put up the last of the recently abandoned pictures. She looked through the cabinets and the fridge to find anything remotely good to eat for dinner. Nothing. She wouldn't hear the last of it if their first dinner back together was Macaroni and Cheese. Then again, she could stand a few jokes like the old days.

Tony walked into the kitchen with a towel around his waist to find Michelle's head deep into the back of the fridge. As she stood he grabbed her waist, not reluctantly but gently, carefully. They hadn't really gotten a whole lot of resolving time in yet and he didn't want to go too far. Not now.

"Oh my God, you scared me," Michelle said when she felt his warm hands.

Tony turned her around and stared into her eyes. He could tell that she longed to be back together as much as he did... and that was enough.

He kissed her gently and then more passionately but pulled away after a minute.

"You weren't going to cook were you?" he said with a smile

"There's nothing to cook, smarty"

"Fine. you go take a shower, i'll go to the grocery store"

"But you don't have any clothes on."

"yeah i noticed you stole them "

"Relax, they're in the dryer. There's a few shirts and some pants in the bottom drawer of the dresser that you forgot"

They both looked at each other. The subtle remembrance of the last year and a half was enough to stop them for a second. Tony cleared his throat.

"Ok, I'll go get some clothes on you take your shower and then we'll head to the grocery store together."

Michelle responded with a quiet "ok" and turned towards the bathroom.

"Michelle," Tony said reaching for her arm.

"Yeah," she turned around.

"I love you."

It was so unexpected that it took her off guard. Could it really be like this again?

She leaned up to his lips and kissed him then gently whispered "you too" in his ear as she turned back towards the bathroom.

The idea of having dinner made at home was appealing, but by the time Michelle had taken her shower and they were out it seemed like a better idea to eat out. They went to a small Chinese restaurant five miles away from their house and sat at a small booth in the back.

Oddly enough, neither of them were nervous. It almost felt as if they didn't need to talk, like the day had pretty much explained their previous heartache and then their joy and reuniting. But they both knew that it was necessary to talk it out and hit the key sore spots.

They ordered their food quickly as it was now 7 pm on a Wednesday night and only 3 other customers sat around them. Tony broke the silence.

"So…20 questions?" he asked in a tone that made Michelle love him that much more. He was going to downplay this so it was comfortable for them to talk and not like that had to get it out of the way. She also laughed because it alluded to their first date.

"Sure. You start."

"Favorite new artist" he asked with a smile.

"You have got to be kidding."

"20 is a lot. I've got some to spare."

"You're not kidding… ok um. Carrie Underwood."

"Ah, country?" he asked disappointed.

"Not country completely. She's the idol; she can do anything she wants." Michelle defended her choice." But apparently we aren't going to agree on that subject. "Favorite new movie."

"I'll have to go with Mr. and Mrs. Smith"

"How fitting" Michelle let out with a grin. "We think our divorce was tragic, how bout Brad and Jen!"

Tony nodded his head with a smirk. They were now feeling comfortable to make jokes about the divorce…and in the past tense.

"Ok. Real question time."

Michelle felt her expression grow more serious. "ok."

"why Seattle?"

"I couldn't stay at CTU. I could stand to be in LA but the thought of walking in CTU everyday without you killed me. When Seattle restructuring came along I figured it was worth it that they would pay for my coming home every weekend."

"Fair enough."

"And why did you not like my going?"

"I wasn't thrilled that two months after I was sent to jail, you were leaving only to be back on the weekends. Your visits kept me sain."

"It hardly felt that way when I came."

"I know I was cold and I am so sorry. I just never knew what to say."

"That was a first for you and me. No matter what you always knew what I needed to hear and there I was the only one talking, having no idea what you went through for the week that I was gone."

"You leaving was harder when I got out." Tony admitted.

"God, I hated leaving. Boarding that plane every Sunday night. Honestly, though, I was more terrified of getting off the plane on Thursday. Not knowing what was going on or if you would even show up to meet me at home."

"It was hard for me to think of being there when you got home. Like you had a greater allegiance now to your job than to us."

"I just can't believe we let it get so low that you would actually believe that. You know I love you more than that, right?"

"Of course I do. You just agreed to leave work for us. That has to be good for something", Tony smiled. Her leaving work truly meant _everything_ to him.

"Truth be told, though, it was easier to fly off to this fantasy work world where I didn't have to think about complicated real life at home… and before you ask, Bill had nothing to do with that."

"Good, and Jen had nothing to do with why I wasn't there to meet you when you got home. I didn't even know Jen before we separated."

"That's reassuring. I was restless at the thought of another woman you had at home."

"Michelle. I need you to know that I never quit loving you and that I never meant to ever push you away… At least not consciously."

"I never wanted to leave you."

"So what happened? How did something neither of us wanted end up so out of our control?"

"I think it's because we wanted too much control over what we did want. You wanted me to loosen up and be ok with the fact that you were in your mid-30's and being a couch potato lazy bum whereas I didn't want to stop doing anything for fear that this front I had put up would come crashing down….and it did."

"Julie said she had talked to you."

"She did. She's the reason that I left that day."

Michelle drifted into thought of that fateful night when she knew it was time to leave.

flashback

She remembered it well. About four months after Tony had gotten out of prison he still hadn't gotten a job and was quite content spending the rest of his life on the couch. His lips touched the coffee mug more than they touched hers. Even worse, the feeling that drinking gave him provided more comfort than she did. That hurt. And it wore away at Michelle.

Perhaps the worst, though, were the weeknights. At this point Michelle left every weekend (Friday morning to Sunday night) for Seattle and spent the weekdays at LA Division in a transition phase. The restructuring project was nearly finished so a couple of days a week in Seattle would suffice. It was obvious, however, that Tony hardly appreciated, much less recognized Michelle's sacrifice to be with him during the majority of her free time.

Nevertheless, her sacrifice nearly always seemed in vain. Many nights, like this one, Tony was no where to be found.

It was nearly 9 by the time Michelle made it home that night. The house was moderately clean. To most people the absence of drunken beer bottles would be comforting. To Michelle that just meant that Tony was out drinking somewhere else.

She didn't let her mind dwell in that thought, though. She needed to shower and pack up. It was a Thursday night and she would leave at 8 the next morning for Seattle. The packing and cleaning the house offered distraction that Michelle needed most in these times. If she weren't busy she might be tempted to leave.

As she finished blow drying her hair after her shower she heard the phone ring. She reluctantly moved for the phone.

"Hello?"

"Michelle?" the voice asked.

"Yeah. Hey Jules," Michelle responded to her sister-in-laws familiar voice.

"He's not there is he?" she asked hoping that for one minute she might catch her brother at his house with his wife in the world he should be in.

"No. Haven't seen him tonight. Can a give him a message?"

"No, that's ok. I just wanted to see if he would mind putting together Walker's new bike. Ben is out of town with Walker and I wanted to surprise them when they got back but I can barely reach around my stomach."

Michelle didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the image of the two trying to teach a kid how to ride a bike. She longed for that with all of her heart. Maybe not even the kid. Just some kind of normal interaction with her spouse.

"Well you have my sympathy and I will definitely pass that on. If you want I can help. I've been known to fix a few bikes in my day." Michelle vividly remembered teaching Audrey, Danny's oldest, how to ride.

"That would be wonderful!" Julie was happy that her sister-in-law hadn't shut her out. "But wait. Don't you go to Seattle tomorrow?"

Michelle swallowed hard. Of course she had to go to Seattle. What else would she be doing but working?

"Yeah. I'm sorry Jules"

"No, that's ok" there was a short pause. ... So Tony's not there to see you off."

"Shocking, I know" Michelle replied in resentful sarcasm.

"Michelle, I love my brother with all of my heart but I want to dare to go off the record." Julie began boldly.

"a-ok..." Michelle replied anxiously. She had no idea of where this was going.

"He's being a jerk. To you, to his family, to his friends. And I can't stand that he's getting you down like he is… Have you considered leaving, if just for a little while."

"Jules..." Michelle didn't really know what to say. "Look, I know Tony's not at his greatest right now and God knows I hate our situation. But I think I owe it to him to give him this chance."

"So he can what? Come in tomorrow sit on the couch leave in the afternoon to 'hang' with the guys and come home past midnight for another four months?"

What she said was harsh but brought the cold reality to the forefront of Michelle's mind. Every night before bed she gave separating a thought and every time she woke up in the morning she couldn't do it. The circle was exhausting.

"You see, Chelle, what the two of you are going to have to understand at some point is that you can not keep score like this. In a loving relationship there is no record. Tony saved your life at the expense of 6 months of his. He loved you that much. The only thing you have to do is love him in return and you are even. If he loved you enough to save you then he should love you enough to keep you. Period. At this point I think the action of love would be to leave him. Wake him up. Because I don't believe for a moment that he doesn't love you anymore. I think he really believes that he can just get away with calling in his favor for the rest of your lives."

"I think what kills me most, Julie, is that my loving him in return is not enough. He can't get past being angry and bitter for 2 seconds long enough to realize that we can move on if he would quit feeling sorry for himself."

"Then Michelle, you just found your answer."

She thanked Julie for the advice and went to the kitchen to make herself some coffee. She sat in the living room flipping through a photo album of her and Tony.

Finally she had made her decision. She got a pen and some paper and wrote out her feelings to Tony. It was short but sweet and to the point. She went and picked up boxes from behind the strip where Leo's restaurant was. The memories there made tears fall down her face as she drove. Appropriately, it was raining.

When she got back home around 11, Tony was still no where to be found. She started packing some of _his_ things up in the boxes. This was, after all, her house. As she rummaged through drawers she found a small black velvet box and opened it. There, inside, laid Tony's wedding ring. She had noticed he wasn't wearing it recently but to be packing it up made this all surreal. She finally went to bed a little after midnight and Tony rolled in about an hour later. He didn't even notice the boxes as he made his way to the bed where his wife lay.

The next morning Michelle woke up, got her coffee to go, grabbed her bag, and took a second look at the house. Today was the last time she would leave and come back without Tony being there. She was torn in her heart between her husband and the man that lay on their bed nearly passed out in alcohol consumption.

Tony woke up around noon and walked into the living room, squinting in the light to find boxes and a note on top that read...

Tony,

I leave again this morning for Seattle. My heart is torn over this decision but I don't know what else to do. We are drifting further apart each day and in rapid amounts. I can't stand to question your love and live with you questioning my love in return. Thank you for the times that you were a wonderful husband. You knew what I needed and when and made it your purpose to make me happy.

I can't say that you are that man now which is why I am writing this. I've already filled many boxes with your stuff. Take what you want from the kitchen and go wherever it is that has been your home for the last four months. I want you out of the house when I get home on Sunday. If by then you decide you want to talk I will be more than willing to do so. I do love you.

Michelle

p.s.- Call Julie

Tony was furious. But he did what Michelle said out of rage. If she didn't want hime there, he wasn't going to stay. Needless to say, he didn't call Monday morning. He moved into Pete's place, a friend of his a couple of miles away. Michelle called on Tuesday only to find that this was not the push Tony needed to wake up and be a husband. Asking him to leave pushed him far enough away to quit caring. As if the relationship was not mendable. 2 months later the divorce was final and he didn't see Michelle for 6 months after that.

(after day four)

Tony and Michelle talked for another hour until closing. While this was everything they had dreamed of and more, it was all surreal and happening fast!

But they did want it. They wanted to talk to each other like best friends again, only now they were best friends with a little history. And that was ok. It was also just fine with them that things were getting back to normal (if things ever were "normal") quickly. After all, they did live in a fast paced world…until now.

And while the future may have seemed uncertain that night they didn't seem to care. Out of character for these people who found some comfort in being in command; figuring out what to do next on a whim.

But their jobs also prepared them for sporadic changes and uncertain events. For now they liked rolling with the punches and being in the moment. It was what they were trained to do best.

They went back to Michelle's place,_ their_ place, again. In the course of the dinner conversation they had talked about Tony at least moving back in and he was delighted at once again driving by default to their house. It had been a while since he didn't even have to think about where he was going. For now both of their brains were on auto-pilot. And they liked it.

They drove up into the driveway and got out. Michelle searched her purse for the key. Once they had reached the doorstep and still no key, Tony looked at Michelle expectantly. Michelle looked up nervously.

"Oh my God!" Tony laughed and scratched his face. "How do you get locked out of your own house?"

"Shut-up! I'm looking," Michelle defended.

She gave up and dumped the contents of her purse on the doorstep.

They both rummaged through and still no key.

"Maybe my purse spilled in the car. My lipstick is gone, too," Michelle suggested.

"Or," Tony began joking. "Someone broke into the car while we were eating, took your purse and decided that the only 2 valuable things in there were your house key and your lipstick."

"Hey!" Michelle pointed. "Don't joke, that was a really pretty color lipstick. I would have taken it!"

They got back over to the car.

Tony opened his door as Michelle opened hers. And there they searched under the chairs.

Tony watched as Michelle all but crawled under the passenger seat. Since she hadn't ever really fixed her hair after her shower, curls were going everywhere. He was taken then by his love for this woman.

"I found it!" Michelle beamed.

As she looked up at him with her face lit up, key in hand, he leaned in to kiss her.

"What was that for?" Michelle asked once it broke.

"Shhh" Tony replied getting up and motioning to the door. "Bring that key."

Michelle looked confused but gladly complied

Tony opened the door and, arm around her waist, kissed Michelle again. Passionately.

Michelle broke it for a moment. "Tony, I have to get my stuff off the ground."

Tony kissed her again.

"Why, any more lipstick for the mystery burglar to take? Leave it."

He kissed her again.

"Oh my God, I didn't even find the lipstick!" Michelle said playfully, now in somewhat irrelevance to the mood. Tony kissed her again.

"Ah, oh well. It wasn't that important," she said, kissing him back this time.

Tony laughed at her playfulness and kissed her as they made the trip back to their bedroom. Michelle knew once and for all that this was her Tony. The husband she had so longed for over the past 18 months had come back into her world as quickly as he had left.

But he wasn't her husband anymore… not yet…


End file.
